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JINSA in the Media

When we have a toothache we visit a dentist. For legal matters we consult lawyers. It is therefore baffling to me that for matters of national security pertaining to America's borders, the dialogue is not being shaped by the experts at the U.S. Border Patrol, but rather by politicians who have turned U.S. homeland security into a partisan issue.

The United Nations issued a report last week saying it believes Israel committed "war crimes" in responding to ongoing violence on the Gaza border. The accusations include Israel Defense Forces shooting at non-combatants "knowing they were clearly recognizable as such." Certainly this is not the UN's first condemnation of Israel, but the accusations remain unjustified. The IDF does a remarkable job minimizing harm to civilians - on all sides.

In November 2018, JINSA Hybrid Warfare Task Force members spoke at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago. The task force members discussed the operational and legal challenges that Israel faces in the event of a likely war in the North against Iran, Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxies.

For weeks, Israeli and Lebanese soldiers have eyed each other uneasily at
close range while Israeli engineers neutralize cross-border infiltration tunnels. These sophisticated tunnels, clearly intended to attack civilians, embody Hezbollah's ongoing efforts to threaten substantial harm to Israel. They are also a reminder of that border's fragile calm, and the potential for major destruction and suffering that would befall both Israeli and Lebanese civilians in another conflict on Israel's northern front.

American policymakers must revisit the recent decision to spend over $100 million of taxpayer money on advanced weapons for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Conceivably these armaments could reinforce Hezbollah against Israel or other Iranian proxies threatening the United States and its allies around the Middle East.

The 68-23 vote by the Senate Thursday for an amendment opposing the withdrawal American troops from Syria and Afghanistan demonstrates the Republican-controlled chamber doesn't support President Trump's desire to pull U.S. troops out of both nations at this time. The amendment is to a bill that has yet to be voted on in the Senate.

After much obfuscation and obstruction by the Palestinian Authority and the media, the existence of these payment programs has finally been exposed. But officials such as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas typically defend these benefits as a form of welfare.

“It seems increasingly likely the United States is prepared to officially recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel. Acknowledging Israeli sovereignty over the strategically-critical heights would obviously be in Israel’s interest, but also in the interest of the United States,” explained Jonathan Ruhe, Associate Director, JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy. “It would underscore U.S. support for Israel’s self-defense, in particular against Iran and its proxies in neighboring Syria – an issue that’s increasingly important as the United States reduces its own presence in that country and relies increasingly on its Middle East allies to push back against Tehran.”

Sometimes big things do come in small packages - 91 characters, to be exact. In one tweet President Trump abruptly declared mission accomplished in Syria and initiated a precipitous U.S. withdrawal that gives ISIS a lifeline while handing the strategic heart of the Middle East to Iran. The United States urgently must begin bolstering key regional allies to mitigate the fallout of this decision.

Iran's recent nuclear-capable ballistic missile test exploded three myths popular in Washington: that missile development was forbidden by the 2015 Iran nuclear deal; that Saudi Arabia's reckless and heinous killing of Jamal Khashoggi represents the most pressing regional threat to the United States; and that U.S. sanctions are addressing Iran's growing missile threat. The United States should offer a more robust approach to addressing that threat, including developing a regional missile defense capability for our Middle Eastern partners.